Electric railway.



No. 788,027. PATENTED FER-21, 1905. J. DELA MAR.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. a, 1904.

s SHEETSSHEET 1.

" Q INVENTOR Q2 NEW.

ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES.-

No. 783,027. PATENTED FEB. 21,1905. J. DELA MAR.

BLEGTRIG RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

$355858; HIM wwle.

A TTORNE Y. I

N0. 783,027. PATBNTED FEB. 21, 1905.

'J. DELA MAR.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY,

3 SHEETSSHBET 3.

WITNESSES; INVENTOR.

FATTORNEY:

UNITED STATES Patented. February 21, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH DELA MAR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MATHIAS A. LAZAREFF, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,027, dated February 21, 1905.

Application filed March 8,1904. Serial No. 197,174.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH DELA MAR, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Electric Railway, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in electric rail ways, and especially to an improvement which is a combination of the ordinary third-rail system with the ordinary feed-wire system.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple, efficient, and comparatively inexpensive system in which a third rail is utilized, but in which the rail or conductor is hollow and serves as a carrier forafeed-wire. This arrangement enables me to keep the Wire always protected and at the same time provides means for a firm and good contact between the rail and the plows oi' the cars.

A principal object of my invention is to construct and arrange the mechanism so that normally the contact-rail is out of circuit and dead, but so that the train as it passes along the track will automatically cut in the current at the part of the rail opposite the train and cut it out as the train passes.

Other objects of my invention are to make this mechanism as simple and positive as possible, to construct the rail so that it will shed snow and ice readily, so that it can be opened at any point to get at the mechanism inside, to provide means for making an excellent contact with the plow or shoe, and to arrange the inner mechanism so that it will work positively and will be in little danger of getting out of repair.

To these ends my invention consists of an electric-railway system, the construction, arrangement, and organization of which will be hereinafter described and the novel features claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure Us a side elevation of my improved electric railway, showing a couple of cars inposition thereon. Fig. 2 is a detail side elean enlarged broken longitudinal section, partly in elevation, of the rail. Fig. 5 is a crosssection on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is broken detail perspective showing the construction of the contact-plow and particularly the part which operates the switches by which the current is turned on and off the contact-rail, and Fig. 8 is a broken detail sectional, view showing a modified arrangement of the apparatus which is particularly adapted to use on curves.

My third or contact rail 10 is, in addition to being a conductor, a housing for the feed-wire and the switch mechanism. It has the vertical sides 11 with suitable flanges for attachment to the sleepers, and the top of the rail is formed by the contact-strip 12, which is triangular in cross-section and is arranged with the apex of the triangle uppermost, so that this contact-strip is in the shape of a gable and adapted to easily shed snow and ice. Other forms may be used; but I like this shape for the reasons given.

While the rail might be made with the strip 12 and parts 11 integral, I preferably have the strip 12 detachable in order that easy access may be had to the inner mechanism of the rail, and to further facilitate this object I provide the part 12 with depending lugs 13, which fit inside the sides 11 and are held by screws 14 or equivalent fastenings. The rail is made in sections of convenient length,and the sections are insulated from each other, as shown at 15. This insulation may be in the form of anairgap; butI prefer to use insulatingmaterial, so as to make the surface smooth and continuous.

The bottom of the rail is formed by the strip 16, of insulating material,whicl1 is adapted to lie on the sleepers of the track and which insulates the feed-wire l7,which is arranged longitudinally within the rail.

The contact between the feed-wire l7 and the contact-strip 12 of the rail is made by the switch-arms 18, which are arranged, preferarms of a given rail-section work in unison,

or other matter on the rail.

ably, near the ends of each rail-section and which contact at the bottom with the wire 17 and at the top with lugs 19, which are produced on the part 12 of the contact-rail. The switchand to this end both are carried by a rod 20, which is journaled in a suitable support 21 on the rails, and the rod is provided at the ends and near the center with cranks 22, the end cranks serving to cut the current in and the middle one to cut it out, as presently described. The cranks 22 have pins 23, which engage pins 24: on the slide-rods or switchrods- 25, and the latter move transversely through slots in the rail 10 and are adapted to project from the sides thereof, the parts which are to contact with the plow being rounded in order that contact may be easy.

By reference to Figs. 3, 5, and 6 it will be noticed that the middle rod, which I have marked 25, projects from the side opposite to that of the end rods 25. This is because the end rods when moving in one direction tip the switch-arms 18 so as to cut the current in, as just described, while the rod 25 when struck by a plow moves in the opposite direction and tilts the shaft 20 so as to cutout the current that is, so as to bring the switch-arm 18 out of contact with the parts 17 and 19. To further facilitate the return or the rods 25 and 25 to normal position, I use preferably a spring, as 26, (see Fig. 4,) to effect such return. If a return-wire 17 is used, I employ supplemental switch-arms 27, which are pivotally supported parallel with the arms 18 and are connected thereto by insulating-links 28, so that the switch-arms will work in unison and contact coinstantaneously with the wires 17 and 17.

As the cars may be coupled up in Various relations-that is, may be arranged with either end foremostI equip each car at front and rear with contact-plows 29 and 30, the former being adapted to cut the current out and the latter to cut it in. The forward plow 29 has a thin extension 29", which is preferably of metal and which projects from the end portions of the plow, so as to lit snugly on the rail and serve as a scraper to remove the ice or other obstruction. The scraper has its extremity merging in a point, so that the sides have an inclined knife-like action on the ice So far as the hanging of these plows is concerned no novelty is claimed for them. They are suspended by hangers 32 and have a spring-buffer 33, so as to hold the plows in close contact with the third or contact rail; but the structure of the hanger is immaterial, and any usual mechanism can be arranged for operating them. The plows should also have any usual means for raising and lowering them, so that either may be brought into or vout of contact with the third rail. Each plow, however, is constructed so as to fit closely over the contactstrip 12 of the rail and with side flanges 29 or 30, as the case may be, which fit down over the sides of the rails, so that a good contact is insured, while displacement is difficult.

The plow 29 has one side or flange extended downward below the other and formed into a rounding contact-shoe 29", so that this part will strike the slide or switch rod 25, but the'other side will escape the rods'25. The plow 30, on the other hand, has a rounded part 30", which extendsdownward on the side, where it will strike the rods 25, but the opposite side will escape the part 25. Consequently as the train comes along the plow 29 on the front end of the car will successively engage the projecting switch-rods 25 and push them inward. so as to cut the current in, as already described, and the current will be carried from the contact-strip 12 up through the plow and hanger, as usual, and as the train progresses the plow 30 on the rear car will successively engage the swi tch-rods 25, and so cut the current out and leave the third rail dead.

In going around curves I make the shaft 20 very short and in sections which are arranged at the ends only of the rail, so that the cut-out switch instead of being in the middle of the rail is in close connection with the switches at the ends of the rail; but it operates exactly as described. This arrangement is shown clearly in Fig. 8.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have devised a very simple means for having a third rail dead except when the train passes it, that the cutting in and out of the current is positive, and that the whole systern is easily laid and easily gotten at for repairs.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An electric-railway system, comprising a hollow rail, a feed-wire arranged longitudinally therein, switches arranged within the rail to cut the same into and out of contact with the feed-wire, switch-rods projecting from opposite sides of the rail, and contactplows slidable on the rail, one plow serving to engage the switch-rods on one side of the rail and the other plow to engage the rods on the opposite side of the rail.

2. In an electric-railway system, the combination of the hollow rail having a top contact part, an insulated feed-wire arranged longitudinally in the rail, switches arranged on horizontal axes and swinging into engagement with the feed wire and the rail, and switch-rods extending through the rail sides and operatively connected with the switches.

3. In an electric-railway system, the combination with the hollow rail, the insulated feed-wire therein, the switch-rods projecting from opposite sides of the rail, and the switches operated by the rods to connect the arranged to follow each other, one plow having a depending flange to engage the switchrods on one rail side and the following plow having a depending flange to engage the switch-rod on the opposite rail side.

4. The combination with the hollow rail and the insulated feed-wire therein, of 'the switch-arms swinging into contact with the wire and rail, the crank-shaft carrying the switch-arms, slide-rods moving transversely through the rail, and means for bringing the slide-rods into engagement with the crankshaft to actuate the switch-arms.

5. The combination with the hollow third rail and its contained conductor, of switches operated from the sides of the rail, and plows arranged to successively engage the switches, one plow striking the switches on one side of the rail to cut the current into the rail, and

the following plow striking the switch on the opposite side of the rail to out the current out. 6. The combination with the third rail and the switch rods projecting from opposite sides thereof, of the plows adapted to engage the switch-rods, the said plows having curved or rounded contact portions which fit the sides of the rail and engage the said switch-rods.

7. The combination with the hollow rail having its top portion constructed to engage a contact-plow, of the feed-wire within the rail, the lugs on the under side of the railtop, the switch-arms adapted to swing into contact with the lugs and feed-wire, switchrods operating from the sides of the rail to actuate the switch-arms, and contact-plows to engage the switch-rods.

JOSEPH DELA MAR.

Witnesses:

WARREN B. HUTCHINSON, J. G. DUNBAR. 

